On this edition of Parallax Views, Grant M. Gallagher of the upcoming history podcast New Disorder: a History of the 21st Century returns to discuss his June 5th, 2023 Newsweek op-ed “Why AI Panic is Not About Safety”. We delve into how Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI and a signatory of the Center for AI Safety’s recent statement about the potential dangers of AI, has been at the forefront of calling for safety regulations in lieu of current concerns about the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies. But is all of this simply about AI safety, or ensuring regulations that are on the terms of and to the benefit of figures like Altman and their companies? Gallagher makes this argument in the op-ed and we delve into it more in this conversation about the AI Panic. This is not to say that there aren’t legitimate concerns about AI, but rather that the way concerns about AI is currently being discussed conceal business interests and motivations. We also discuss ChatGPT and its potential biases, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike in Hollywood (which is being driven by fears about AI), Henry Kissinger and the American political establishment, and much, much more.o
